Seeking to decode a final, unanswered invitation, a filmmaker explores why the renowned Lebanese director Jocelyne Saab reached out for a collaboration just two months before her passing. Since his reply can never reach her, the film transforms into a lyrical expedition through the life, political commitments, and artistic vision of a singular voice from the era of revolution.
Revolutionaries Never Die
a film by
“Yaqubi’s own work, implicitly influenced by Saab’s perspective, explores the intersection of archives, solidarity, and cinema.”
“Yaqubi’s own work, implicitly influenced by Saab’s perspective, explores the intersection of archives, solidarity, and cinema.”
Mohanad Yaqubi
Biography
Mohanad Yaqubi is a filmmaker, producer, and one of the founders of Idioms Film, an arthouse production based in Ramallah since 2004. He is also a member of Subversive Film, a curatorial collective focused on researching and redistributing militant cinema from Palestine and beyond. Since 2017, he has been a lecturer and researcher at KASK School of the Arts in Ghent.
With a background in mechanical engineering and a Master’s in Feature Films from Goldsmith University, London, Mohanad’s research explores archival practices within transnational solidarity movements. His work examines the politics, aesthetics, and cinema, while also considering imperfect archives as a way to connect living memories. His first film, *Off Frame AKA Revolution Until Victory* (2016), premiered at Toronto IFF, Berlinale, Cinéma du réel, Dubai IFF, and Carthage, among numerous other international premieres and screenings. His second feature, *R21 AKA Restoring Solidarity* (2022), debuted at Documenta 15, IDFA, Marrakesh FF, True/False, and Melbourne IFF, among others.
Filmography
- R21 AKA Restoring Solidarity, feature documentary, 2022
- Off Frame AKA Revolution Until Victory, mid-length documentary, 2016
- No Exit, Short fiction, 2013
- Insomnia, short film documentary, 2005
- Carnaval, short documentary, 2004
